Knife for skinning hides

ABSTRACT

A POWER OPERATED KNIFE FFOR DEHIDING, OF THE TYPE UTILIZING A PAIR OF COUNTER-OSCILLATING CIRCULAR TOOTHED BLADES IN CLOSE ASSOCIATION, WHEREIN SAID BLADES ARE PROVIDED WITH GENERALLY RADIAL OPENINGS, EACH OPENING RECEIVING A CAM MOUNTED ON A SHAFT AND ROTATED BY POWER MEANS, SAID CAMS ROTATING OUT OF PHASE WITH EACH OTHER, AND INCLUDING KEYS EACH HAVING YOKE FOR THE RECEPTION OF SAID CAMS INDIVUDUALLY AND IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE EDGES OF THE RADIAL OPENINGS IN THE BLADES. A UNITARY MAIN FRAME FOR CONTAINING AND HOLDING THE BLADES, CAMS, AND THE POWER MECHANISMS, GEAR BOX, ETC.

Dec. 7, 1971 F, Q UMHOLTZ 3,624,902

KNIFE FOR SKINNING HIDES Filed NOV. 13, 1969 3 Sheets-Shoot 1 Dec. 7,1971 F Q UMHOLTZ 3,624,902

KNIFE FOR SKINNING HIDES Filed NOV. 13, 1959 3 ShGBtS-Shet l 77 9A? ffDe 7, 1971 F. G. uMHoLTz KNIFE FOR SKINNING HIDES 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 FiledNov. 13, 1969 United States Patent O 3,624,902 KNIFE FOR SKINNING HIDESFranklyn G. Umholtz, Shutesbury, Mass., assignor to 1lissell HarringtonCutlery Corporation, Southbridge,

ass.

Filed Nov. 13, 1969, Ser. No. 876,292 Int. Cl. B26b 19/12 U.S. Cl.30-220 6 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A power operated knife fordehiding, of the type utilizing a pair of counter-oscillating circulartoothed blades in close association, wherein said blades are providedwith generally radial openings, each opening receiving a cam mounted ona shaft and rotated by powerv means, said cams rotating out of phasewith each other; and including keys each having a yoke for the receptionof said cams individually and in conjunction with the edges of theradial openings in the blades. A unitary main frame for containing andholding the blades, cams, and the power mechanisms, gear box, etc.

BACKGROUND OF THE IINVENTION Hides have been removed from carcasses bymeans of power operated circular toothed knives being oscillated inopposite directions in conjunction with each other and using electricmotors or relatively low speed air motors. Air motors are preferablebecause they can be utilized at higher speeds and are safer from astandpoint of shock, it being recognized that hides are often removedunder conditions of moisture.

The difficulty with high speed air motors has been that the gear boxes,cams, etc. wear out very rapidly. The edges of the radial openings inthe knife blades bearing on the cams wear into the cams rendering themunless in a very short period of time. The slow speed electric motors ofcourse do not wear the cams to such an extent but regardless of thespeed at which the knives are oscillated, it would be definitelyadvantageous were the tool to be provided with means whereby there wouldbe less wear, lower maintenance cost, with better cutting achieved byreason of the higher speeds.

Also, the blades must be sharpened, or at least changed, at least once aday, and the construction of prior dehiding devices in such as torequire an excess of down time for this purpose.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A rotary Skinning knife comprising a unitarymain frame and a cover that have relatively at tapered surfaces, themain frame supporting or journalling all of the mechanism including thecutting blades, a driving means, gear box, etc., the gear box includinga pair of cams which are out of phase with each other and are providedwith bearing rings to bear on the edges of radial apertures in the knifeblades, thus oscillating the same at a high rate of speed, there alsobeing novel yokes connected with respect to the blades, so that the camsbear on said yokes, thus providing a greatly widened cam bearing surfaceand reducing the wear on the cams to a really great degree.

In the present case the main frame which houses the knives and the gearbox, as well as the shaft for driving the gear box, etc. is made in asingle piece having a removable cover, so that once the parts areassembled, they t to the degree desired and last longer. The gearing isnot separated during removal of the blades for sharpening, and theentire device can be replaced as a unit, or the power operating supplyon the other hand ice can be replaced relative to the tool in case itshould fail. Once the parts are set up there is no changing orinterferences regardless of maintenance, oiling, etc., which must bedone. In most cases the blades have to be removed for sharpening once aday.

It will be clear to those skilled in the art that higher cutting speedsresult in better and faster cutting. Where the present invention isutilized there is lower maintenance and less wear, these beingadvantages that are not possible in the prior art due to the fact thatin most cases the energizing mechanism for the oscillatory motion of theblades must be removed or at least disturbed and reassembly of the partsis a relatively long process; whereas in the present case the blades canbe removed upon removal of a very simple cover and sharpened andreplaced with very little trouble and in a minimum of time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. l is a plan view of the entiretool;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation thereof;

FIG. 3 is a plan view lwith the cover removed;

FIG. 4 is a similar View with the blades removed;

FIG. 5 is a view in side elevation of the unitary main frame;

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal section through the entire device;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a key or yoke;

FIG. 8 is` a side view thereof looking in the direction of arrow 8 inFIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a side view of the gearing;

FIG. l0 is a section through the frangible coupling, and

IFIG. 11 is a bottom plan view of the blade holder and washer.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION A pair of oscillatory toothed discblades or knives are indicated at 10 and 12. These are mounted in aunitary main frame member 14, see EFIGS. 2 and 5, this member havingprovision for bolting a cover 16 thereto. In FIG. 1 the referencenumeral 18 indicates an aperture in this cover to which an oil cup isapplicable and also it is protvided with bolts 20, 20 for connecting tothe lower frame member 14. The cover 16 and the main frame 14 togetherprovide a connection or fitting generally indicated at 22 for thereception of the end 24 of a flexible shaft 26 driven by an electricmotor or an air motor.

The main frame L4 provides threads 30 for the reception of the fitting22 and the drive shaft at 26 and it also encompasses a flat surface 32which is cut away for the bearing reception of the lower blade 22, seeFIG. 6, in the center of which is an upstanding stud 34 receiving thecentral apertures of both of the blades as indicated at 36 in FIG. `3.

Integral with the main frame 14 and extending upwardly therefrom thereis an abutment or standard generally indicated at B8 and on thisabutment there is provided an integral ring-like member 40. This member40 receives a cover and bearing member 42 for a bearing collar 44 havinga bearing in it receiving the upper end 46 of the gearing and cam unitwhich is shown in FIG. 9, and which is generally indicated at 48. Theoil cup at 18 is also located in this cover member 42 and the entireapparatus is self-sufficient even in the absence of cover 16 which is ofcourse provided to protect the works and also to guide the tool inseparating the hide from the carcass. The gearing to be described aswell as the knives are located solely on the main frame member.

The gear and cam unit 48 comprises a shaf-t 50 upon which are fixed thetwo cams 52 and 54 each of which is provided with a peripheral ringbearing 56. The cam 54 oscillates the lower blade 12 and the cam 52oscillates the upper blade and they are both driven by a helical gear orthe like 58 deriving its energy from a pinion 60 in turn rotated byshaft 62. This shaft has at its outer end a nut 64 in the shape of a hexor the like for coupling to a similar nut 66 at the end of the flexibleshaft 26, these two members being clutched by a frangible plastic sleeveor the like 68, shaped to the nuts 64 and 66, which will break onoverload and acts therefore as a safety factor. The gear 58 and the twocams are mounted on a shaft of which the upper end at 46 is mounted inthe bearing bushing 44 and the lower end of which is mounted in asimilar bearing or bushing 61 in the main frame and which may be alsoprovided with an oil cup or the like 63. The cap 42 is provided with apre-loading spring or the like 65 if desired.

Each of the blades 10 and 12 is provided with a radial cutaway slot 69and the cams bear on the edges thereof thereby oscillating the twoblades in opposite directions about the centers thereof in the stud 34.The blades are held down by means of a top blade washer 70- having anarcuate Teilon bearing member 76 for blade 10. The lower blade 12oscillates on the ridges of the aluminum casing of the main frame shownat 72 in FIGS. 4 and 6.

This blade washer also has a cavity v80 for the reception of the roundedhead portion 82 of an upper yoke 84 which has a downwardly extendingshort pin 86 extending into a corresponding aperture in the top blade10. This yoke has a pair of spaced legs as at 88, 88 just receiving theupper cam 52 and by reason of the interconnection of the pin 86 withrelation to t-he upper blade 10, it will be seen that the fblade isthereby oscillated by the yoke.

The yoke legs 88,- 88 are widened, see FIG. =8, to provide for anincreased bearing surface for the respective cams, and there is ofcourse another like yoke indicated at 90, see FIGS. 3 and 4,by which thelower blade is oscillated, the corresponding pin on the lower yoke beingdirected upwardly so as to engage the respective aperture in the lowerblade 12 for oscillating the same as described.

I claim:

1. A Skinning tool comprising a one-piece main frame including a lowerframe member and an integral standard, means journaling a drive shaft inthe frame, a gear shaft, a journal for one end of the gear shaft in thelower frame member, a pair of cams on the gear shaft, said cams beingout of phase with respect to each other,

said standard including means for journaling the opposite end of saidgear shaft, the drive shaft rotating the gear shaft,

a pair of oscillatory blades, means mounting said blades on said lowerframe member in advance of said gear shaft, and interengaging meansbetween said blades and said cams respectively for oscillating saidblades in opposite directions.

2. The tool of claim 1 wherein the means on the standard journaling theopposite end of the gear shaft is spaced from the journal in the mainframe to accommodatethe gear shaft and the cams in the rnain frame.

3. The tool of claim 1 including a cover, said cover having reduced sideportions adjacent the gear shaft, means to secure the cover to the mainframe, the latter having like reduced side portions.

4. The tool of claim 1 wherein the means journaling the opposite end ofsaid gear shaft in the standard is removable from the standard.

5. The tool of claim 1 wherein the means on the standard journaling theopposite end of the gear shaft is spaced from the journal in the mainframe to accommodate the gear shaft and the cams in the main frame, anda cover for closing the main frame and covering the standard.

6. A tool comprising a one-piece main frame, a shaft, means in the mainframe journaling both ends of the shaft, the main frame being of agenerally at formation with a cavity at one side accommodating ltheshaft and the shaft journaling means, a blade, means on the framemounting the rblade, means on the shaft to drive the blade, and a coverseparate from the main frame,

said cover and said main frame embracing and covering the blade exceptat the cutting edge thereof, the

cover also covering the shaft and the blade driving means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,979,820 4/ 1961 Thompson 30-2151,945,247 1/1934 Wezel 17-21 3,073,027 1/1963 `ONeilly 30-216 3,435,5224/1969 'Wezel et al 30-219 FOREIGN PATENTS 977,702 11/1950 France30--216 ROBERT C. RIORDON, Primary Examiner J. C. PETERS, AssistantExaminer U.S. Cl. X.R. 3 0-222

